He said: “I am hugely disappointed Knowsley put in this letter of objection.

“It increases the likelihood of it being called into a public inquiry and that could delay the scheme by 12 months.”

Knowsley council chief executive Sheena Ramsey submitted a three-page letter opposing the plan, saying it would impact on the £250m rescue plan for Kirkby after the bid to build a new stadium for Everton FC and a Tesco-led shopping development was rejected by government.

She said: “The proposed investment in Kirkby, if it does happen, may not be as successful as it would otherwise have been in the absence of a competing proposal of such a scale and nature as at Edge Lane.”

John Taylor, representing Derwent, said: “Demolition work will start tomorrow on the Robinson Willey site.

“The scheme will be a huge advantage to the city in terms of regeneration and jobs.

“The new retail park will be state-of-the-art and is way beyond anything in the UK at the moment.

“It will put Liverpool at the forefront of the property investment world.”

A spokesperson for Knowsley council said it was a champion for regeneration projects across the whole region.

She added: “However, we have a responsibility to our residents and businesses to minimise the negative impact of such projects on our existing town centres.

“We remain concerned the development as approved would have a negative impact on existing shops in the nearby town centres of Huyton and Prescot and proposed plans for the regeneration of Kirkby town centre.

“We have tried to negotiate with Liverpool for more time to achieve an outcome on which we could all move forward.”